• Privacy team sizes have declined, but perceptions of understaffing have improved due to increased use of AI and more qualified applicants.
• Enterprises that consistently practice privacy by design report stronger board support, better resource allocation, and greater confidence in privacy compliance.
• Major challenges include complex global regulations, skills gaps in technology and legal knowledge, and stress on privacy professionals due to emerging technologies like AI.
The ISACA State of Privacy 2025 report examines global trends in data privacy, revealing both persistent and emerging challenges for privacy professionals. Based on a survey of over 1,600 practitioners in late 2024, the report covers staffing, budgets, regulatory compliance, AI usage, privacy training, and the integration of privacy by design. Despite a slight decline in privacy team sizes (median size dropped from nine to eight), fewer respondents perceived their teams as understaffed. This shift may be due to growing reliance on AI tools—used by 24% of respondents compared to 18% the previous year—and a larger pool of qualified applicants for both legal/compliance and technical privacy roles.
The study strongly supports technical privacy professionals, whose demand continues to outpace legal/privacy roles. Still, skill gaps remain prominent, particularly in technology applications, frameworks, and technical expertise. Nearly 73% of organizations struggle to hire expert-level privacy professionals, and 38% report challenges in retaining talent, partly due to increased job stress from rapid tech adoption and regulatory complexity. The leading obstacles include international legal complexity, insufficient skilled resources, and managing the privacy implications of new technologies.
Enterprises that regularly practice privacy by design appear to fare better across multiple fronts: they are more likely to have adequately funded privacy budgets, better staffing, aligned privacy strategies, and board-level support. These organizations also exhibit higher confidence in achieving compliance and protecting sensitive data. Notably, 72% of respondents in privacy-by-design organizations feel very confident in their privacy practices, compared to 44% overall. However, adoption of privacy by design remains inconsistent, with only 27% reporting that they always follow the approach.
Privacy awareness training is widespread, with 87% of organizations providing it, though only 59% update it annually or in response to regulatory changes. AI is being increasingly adopted for privacy-related tasks such as data classification, with its use more prevalent in ethically driven or competitively focused enterprises than those driven solely by compliance. While privacy breach rates have remained stable, the continued uncertainty around breach detection and future risks highlights the need for better data classification and proactive privacy governance. The report ultimately emphasizes that strong executive support, appropriate funding, and privacy-by-design practices are key indicators of mature and effective privacy programs.
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